BRIDGEWATER - The best team in the Atlantic League just got even better.

The Somerset Patriots, who led the top independent circuit with a 9-3 record heading into Thursday night’s series finale against the Road Warriors, signed eight-year major-league veteran pitcher Kyle Davies earlier this week.

The 34-year-old righty is expected to make his team debut Saturday at home during Somerset’s doubleheader against the Lancaster Barnstormers, and looked sharp in facing live hitters for the first time since the 2016 season when he faced a few Patriots teammates during a pregame session Tuesday.

“I thought he looked pretty good,” said Patriots manager Brett Jodie.

“He hasn’t pitched in a while, but everything was there, and it was coming out of his hand good. His breaking stuff was sharp. If he did make a mistake, he’d make the adjustment next pitch; it wasn’t like there was anything he couldn’t figure out or was lingering or anything like that. It all looked good, he looked sharp.”

Davies, who owns a 43-65 record and 5.57 ERA in 152 MLB games with the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals and most recently the New York Yankees in 2015, last pitched in Japan in 2016 with the Yakult Swallows.

“I wanted to recharge the batteries last year, really focus on getting everything correct and then giving it one more shot,” Davies said. “I was always going to come back, it was just when. I had my third kid, so that kind of pushed everything back too, I didn’t want to leave my wife at home since she wouldn’t be too happy about that (laughs).”

The Decatur, Georgia, native is perhaps best known for giving up Alex Rodriguez’s 500th home run in 2007, but has carved out a 16-year pro career. The Atlantic League has served as a launching pad for veteran pitchers to work their way back to the big leagues in the past – Rich Hill is the most prominent, recent example – and Davies is hopeful that this week can be the start of a similar road.

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Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

Hundreds of law enforcement officials, active and retired, rode through Somerville on Wednesday during the 2018 Police Unity Tour, which traveled through parts of Central Jersey before making its way to Washington D.C. to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Nick Muscavage/Staff Photo

police officers participating in the 2018 Police Unity Tour held a remembrance service honoring Officer Thomas E. Raji, who was the first and only officer killed in the line of duty in Perth Amboy’s history. The service was held at the corner of Route 1 and Green Street in Woobridge where, Raji’s police vehicle was struck in a motor vehicle collision on Aug. 22, 2008. ~Courtesy of City of Perth Amboy

police officers participating in the 2018 Police Unity Tour held a remembrance service honoring Officer Thomas E. Raji, who was the first and only officer killed in the line of duty in Perth Amboy’s history. The service was held at the corner of Route 1 and Green Street in Woobridge where, Raji’s police vehicle was struck in a motor vehicle collision on Aug. 22, 2008. ~Courtesy of City of Perth Amboy

police officers participating in the 2018 Police Unity Tour held a remembrance service honoring Officer Thomas E. Raji, who was the first and only officer killed in the line of duty in Perth Amboy’s history. The service was held at the corner of Route 1 and Green Street in Woobridge where, Raji’s police vehicle was struck in a motor vehicle collision on Aug. 22, 2008. ~Courtesy of City of Perth Amboy

police officers participating in the 2018 Police Unity Tour held a remembrance service honoring Officer Thomas E. Raji, who was the first and only officer killed in the line of duty in Perth Amboy’s history. The service was held at the corner of Route 1 and Green Street in Woobridge where, Raji’s police vehicle was struck in a motor vehicle collision on Aug. 22, 2008. ~Courtesy of City of Perth Amboy

“(Tuesday) was my first time facing live hitters in over a year and a half, so with that being said, I felt pretty good,” he said. “There’s some adjustments that need to be made, but I’m so excited to get back onto the field, obviously. I was telling some guys that I was here at 10 o’clock in the morning with my (baseball) pants on, ready to go. You don’t realize how much you miss it until you’re not there. I felt good, and there’s some kinks to be worked out, but it’s the same every year.”

Davies is expecting to throw three innings on Saturday as he continues to refine his fastball command, build his arm strength and work toward becoming a regular starter in Somerset’s rotation.

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